Thomson

It’s a heck of a way to run a pre-election campaign. On the eve of an expected election, politicians usually spend their time playing up good news, downplaying the bad, shaking hands and kissing babies.

McCartney, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Cavalia among top choices

Leonard Cohen performs at Rexall Place in Edmonton Nov. 16, 2012.

Photograph by: JASON FRANSON
, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - It’s been a memorable year for our city’s Arts & Life scene, and it’s time to look back at the highlights, provided by Journal writers and our readers.

Thursday, Dec. 27: The best shows of 2012

Friday, Dec. 28: The best movies and books

Saturday, Dec. 29: The best CDs

Monday, Dec. 31: The best outings/vacations

Some of our Journal writers are lucky enough to go out for a living — to plays, musicals, Fringe productions, festivals, big Rexall concerts, intimate evenings at small local venues. We allowed a few of them — including veteran theatre writer Liz Nicholls and music writer Sandra Sperounes — to provide more than one show highlight of the year — to do otherwise would have been cruel.

But for the most part, here are our writers’ and editors’ picks for the one best show they saw in Edmonton in 2012:

If you go out to the theatre for a living, and you see lots of shows, you’re entering a labyrinth of anxieties and doubts to single out “the best of the year.” Theatre doesn’t work on the Gregorian calendar year anyhow; I’ve always thought of New Year’s Eve as the first opening night after the Fringe. I’ll get back to you later on the outstanding stage experiences of the season now in progress. Meantime, the editor has given me a dispensation: Herewith, five memorable productions, and nights out in the theatre (in no particular order).

- Tom Wood’s vigorously earthy, joyful production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Citadel Theatre. From the lovers who knock about the woods in mounting confusion — especially the very funny exasperation of Shannon Taylor’s Helena — to the “rude mechanicals” led by Julien Arnold, riotous and heartbreaking as Bottom, the production returned Shakespeare’s great romantic fantasy, often tortured into whips and leather, to its joyful essence.

- The magical powers of the imagination were once again vindicated in Stewart Lemoine’s exhilarating Pith!, remounted in honour of Teatro La Quindicina’s 30th anniversary with a new generation of actors. An adventure on a bare stage that takes the characters on an exotic journey into human connectedness, Pith! is a homage to theatre itself; that’s the heart of the matter.

- The sublime nature of lowball silliness: Nothing to sniff at, my friends. I saw the apotheosis of farcical ingenuity in New York last summer. Nicholas Hytner’s splendidly hysterical production of One Man Two Guvnors, which crossed the pond from the National Theatre in London, is an adaptation of the 18th century Goldoni farce Servant of Two Masters. In the lead role of the increasingly beleaguered deal-maker valet was the remarkable Brit cherub James Corden. For involuntary out-loud laughter and screaming, with no ulterior motive, this experience topped the field.

Belinda Cornish’s new and affectionate English comedy Little Elephants, which premièred at Shadow Theatre, gave us a family of vague, loopy eccentrics, whose route into the secrets of the past is elliptical. They’re not into North American confrontations and angst. The fun is in avoidance, and the family members are virtuosos of the tangent.

Since I’m the beneficiary of a dispensation from the editor, I’m going to press my luck, with two brilliant solo shows. Both were fast, furious, funny and touching. Neither stooped to exposition, a kind of death in the theatre. The narrative emerged; it wasn’t explained. Jon Lachlan’s Big Shot is an explosion of urban characters who intersect, on a bullet trajectory toward tragedy. In Chris Craddock’s Moving Along, a man ricochets through his past, abruptly detouring every time the going gets too visceral. Both were superbly produced, by Surreal SoReal Theatre and Theatre Network, respectively.

— Liz Nicholls

Is there really any contest? Paul McCartney’s two sold-out shows at Rexall Place — by a long and winding road.

Even if you’re not a fan of The Beatles, Wings or his solo work, Macca’s music is in our DNA. As he played Eleanor Rigby and Band on the Run, I felt like I was being called to the mother ship — and I was helpless to resist.

Of the two magical mystery tours, I’m not sure which one was my favourite. McCartney seemed chattier and looser during the first concert, but his voice and band sounded better during the second.

Runner-up for best show? Refused at Edmonton Event Centre. The reunited Swedish punks played an explosive set of anti-capitalist, satirical tunes. Frontman Dennis Lyxzen was a live wire, jumping from the top of a speaker, while Jon Brannstrom hunched over his guitar, looking like he was gearing up to smash it — echoing what Paul Simonon did to his bass on the cover of The Clash’s London Calling.

In fact, seeing Refused is what I imagine it was like to see the late great British punks in their heyday.

— Sandra Sperounes

Edmonton’s inaugural Interstellar Rodeo sticks out as the show that deserves the most kudos. Although many other exciting concerts and festivals rolled through town this year, all the stars aligned for the three-day food, wine and music event. It was well-organized, the lineup rocked, and the atmosphere was energetic and intimate. Simply divine.

— Amanda Ash

How often do you get to see a legend like Paul McCartney? Even though our seats were up in section 305, it was a thrill just to be there. He played all the Beatles favourites, a few vintage Wings hits and even surprised us with pyrotechnics during Live and Let Die. The man showed off his musical chops on guitar, bass and piano. And the one benefit of being up in the rafters, according to music writer Sandra Sperounes, was that Sir Paul’s voice was more powerful higher up in the arena. For much of the night it was like a giant singalong; everyone knew the lyrics to every song on the playlist. Touching tributes to his former bandmates, a thoughtful gesture to the Pipes and Drum Band of the Edmonton Police Service, his onstage presence — Paul McCartney is the ultimate showman.

—Barb Wilkinson

Skipping past an excellent Iron Maiden-plays-the-hits show, with the added bonus of Edmonton’s own Striker proving they can hold their own with the big boys, my vote goes to a much smaller gig, the Doers reunion at Wunderbar. Maybe it’s because I never saw them in their prime, when they were the closest Canada ever got to the Minutemen, or maybe it’s because small, sweaty, cramped bars are more my style, but this one killed.

—Tom Murray

I tried but I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t pick ONE best show. There were too many that rocked my world. So, here is a sampling of my favs. My best visual art experience was Saltus Illuminati, a painting installation at the Art Gallery of Alberta by the late Arlene Wasylynchuk. Sixty-six glowing trees (made from Lexan sheets and lit within by LED light ropes) recreated a forest being attacked by mountain pine beetles. The effect was both beautiful and haunting.

My best musical performance in Edmonton was Leonard Cohen (I saw Sir Paul in Vancouver or it would have been a tie), still poetic and soulful at 78 years. Cavalia, a magical, multi-sensory experience — horses, sensational costumes and effects, live music, expert riders and acrobats — took my breath away. The Alberta Ballet’s spectacular offering Love Lies Bleeding, featuring the music of Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin, was a dazzling blend of choreography, visual and musical elements. Finally, the chance to see John Ullyatt strut his stuff in The Rocky Horror Show at the Citadel was a night of terrific fun and laughter, especially when the audience participation kit held everything from toilet paper to a flashlight.

— Janice Ryan

I saw some fabulous shows this year, including The Rocky Horror Show at the Citadel, Jersey Boys at the Jubilee and gentlemanly Leonard Cohen at Rexall. But what show could ever compete, this year or any year for the rest of time, with Paul McCartney’s two-night tour de force in Edmonton at the end of November? McCartney’s songs have been the soundtrack to my life since I was old enough to own my own transistor radio and it was inspiring to see him, at 70, still the best performer on the planet.

—Keri Sweetman

I had so much fun at the latest music festival to take up residence in Edmonton — Interstellar Rodeo. Held at Hawrelak Park in the amphitheatre, it was a small festival, attracting a few thousand fans. I love Gillian Welch, and was thrilled to hear her in person for the first time on the Friday of the three-day event. But equally exciting was dancing to the music of Alejandro Escovedo and the Sensitive Boys, a band that was new to me, and turned me into an instant fan.

I attended only the first evening of the festival, but won’t soon forget its yellow-hot, blue-skied bliss. The music filled me up, as did food from a number of food trucks that circled the amphitheatre like a fragrant wagon train. I also loved the way the upstart music festival suggested (and sold) wines paired with each of the 16 acts on the weekend-long bill. I can’t wait for next year’s performance. I’m buying a weekend-long pass.

— Liane Faulder

The Labour Day weekend Sonic Boom show has become an annual event for me, my kids and our closest friends, so my perspective on this year’s version is a bit coloured by nostalgia. Still, it’s rare to find a rock show that’s family-friendly enough to satisfy four preteen boys and their moms, but this one is. The lineup at this year’s event threatened to disappoint when Incubus cancelled at the last minute, but fill-in headliners Linkin Park impressed us all in their first Edmonton show.

— Marta Gold

The hype that preceded Cavalia’s arrival to Edmonton was unprecedented, so much so that I expected the horses to sprout wings and fly around the big-top tent as part of the show. They didn’t, of course, but the spectacle of watching the interaction between the equine stars and their human handlers was still nothing short of magical.

— Jamie Hall

The Sound of Music at the Citadel. Schmaltzy and dumb but irresistibly great, with Josée Boudreau somehow outshining Julie Andrews.

— Richard Helm

To be honest, I’m not certain Teatro La Quindicina’s smart, highly successful remount of the wonderful Stewart Lemoine play Pith! was really my favourite show of 2012. That’s a tall order in a year of lucky trips to Paris and New York. But there isn’t a moment’s hesitation in congratulating my favourite company on its remarkable 30-year run, which was duly sent up in a terrific anniversary season. An absolute treasure among Edmonton institutions, Teatro continues to make this city a livable place. Chimo!

— Alan Kellogg

Again with the caveats, but watching my mother twist and shout in the third row of Paul McCartney — an actual Beatle in our midst — filled me with a forgotten joy. That show was impossibly fun, though a Slow Learners/Lad Mags show at a Vancouver’s Antisocial Skateboard also hit me pretty hard. In terms of audience participation, Coldplay’s blinking glow-bands on the wrists of a sold-out Rexall audience was a brilliant spectacle, but the best single concert I saw was Future of the Left at SxSW in Austin, Texas, runner-up to Alejandro Escovedo covering Sex Beat at the Continental Club at the tail end of the same festival.

— Fish Griwkowsky

The very best show I saw in 2012 was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a haunting adaptation of Mark Haddon’s acclaimed novel, created for the stage by playwright Simon Stephens and director Marianne Elliott. It was staged by London’s National Theatre — but I got to see it at West Edmonton Mall, when Cineplex rebroadcast a live London performance. The cast, led by Luke Treadway as the autistic math savant who solves a private, painful family mystery, was stellar. But the real magic was to “be” in the London theatre with a live audience, to be immersed in a truly outstanding piece of stagecraft, without ever leaving WEM.

— Paula Simons

So many things threatened to sink The Weeknd’s show in Edmonton that it’s a miracle I remember it lovingly. I showed up way too early, it was at the dreaded Edmonton Event Centre, and the all-ages crowd was made up of kids so young they didn’t know how to express their desire for an encore (just clap and yell, guys). Thankfully, Abel Tesfaye’s voice was the saviour of the show. If you’ve never heard him sing, do yourself a favour and have a listen. It’s audaciously good, and heard live, it’s nearly inconceivable.

— Stuart Thomson

One of the first shows I saw as a Fringe reviewer at the festival last August, Going To St. Ives, remains at the top of my list. It revolved around the interaction between May N’Kame (Patricia Darbasie), mother of a brutal African dictator, and Dr. Cora Cage (Belinda Cornish), who treats N’Kame for glaucoma in the British town of St. Ives. These two skilled actors overcame the limitations of their church-basement stage to turn in emotionally taut performances.

As a proud papa, I must also mention how much I enjoyed Essay, my daughter Sarah Feutl’s first Fringe play.

— Gordon Kent

Hands down, Leonard Cohen at Rexall Place last month was the best show I saw this year. I had read his poetry and learned to sing Suzanne at school with the other kids in my Grade 4 class, but had never seen him perform live before. There were 9,000 people at the show but he made Rexall feel as intimate as a nightclub that night. His stamina was amazing, putting on a three-hour show. We had to pack it in as he was about to start his third encore shortly before midnight on a weekday. And maybe it’s because I regularly write about fitness, but I couldn’t help but be in awe at that cat’s ability to easily drop to his knees and get back up without using his hands as well as skipping and running offstage after a set. I want what he’s having so I can be like that when I’m 78.

— Chris Zdeb

Paul McCartney in Edmonton. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’ve been a Beatles fan for as long as I can remember and I’ve always said that if I could see anyone in the world perform, Paul McCartney would top the list. Looks like I need to update that list now.

— Caroline Gault

A Wake (Mindhive Collective, Fringe Festival): Not “best” but in a year that saw the Fringe dominated by Bring-Your-Own-Venues in name only (where many companies, my own included, used the site-specific option primarily to guarantee a run of performances at peak hours), Mindhive was one of the few collectives fully embracing the concept with a quirky, charming, tasteful and unsettling performance set inside a funeral chapel. The ingenious lighting, the instantaneous transitions between proscenium and alley, the performers climbing over pews to whisper lines heard only by you, and the gorgeous five-piece band all coalesced into one of the more unforgettable Fringe experiences of my life.

—David Johnston

Progressive Polygamists at the Fringe this summer. A couple of sassy, smart B.C. comedians who play “sister wives” in a gut-splitting satirical hard sell on polygamy.

—Liz Withey

And our readers liked …

What a privilege it was to be present at the interview with Alexander McCall Smith hosted by Todd Babiak at the Winspear Centre on Oct. 23, 2012, during LitFest! What an honour it was for me to meet my favourite author. Alexander McCall Smith’s most delightful characters bring me many smiles and hearty “belly laughs.” In a world that is at times almost too sad to bare, I eagerly look forward to my special time with the most intriguing characters found in the novels of Alexander McCall Smith! I am so happy that there is always a “next” book!

— Doris Pinkoski

In June, Old Strathcona Centre Community League became found space for this roving production where audience followed actors through playground, basketball courts and hockey rink. Oberon (Perry Gratton) released Titania (Georgia Irwin) from his spell, causing her to fall in love with Bottom, the ass, played by audience member Darren Paul. The Common Ground Arts Society put on Found Festival, the first event of its kind in Edmonton. Midsummer’s Lucid Dream was adapted and presented by Thou Art Here Theatre, run by Neil Kuefler and Andrew Ritchie.

— Joan McCracken

Earlier this year my heart almost stood still as I listened to the late Stan Rogers’ son, Nathan, sing his father’s songs. Then Nathan performed his own music in both a solo workshop at the 2012 Folk Festival and as a part of the trio Dry Bones. The previous years have not been bereft of the wonderful Rogers talent. Garnet may have lost his brother but somehow found himself. What a gifted writer/performer he has become.

Where will life take Nathan Rogers? Folk singing? Tuvan throat singing? With his rich voice and versatility, I can hardly wait to hear!

— Jeanne Jorgensen

Waawaate Fobister plays the trickster Namabush, the “two-spirited” main character, his/her hockey star lover, the floozy sister, the proud mother, the silly virgin girl in Agokwe. He flips from passionate lover, to bold masculine mate seamlessly. Agokwe means “two spirited.” The play provides a rare glimpse into the history, spiritual life, and harsh reality of one who is “beyond gender” definition in contemporary society. The one-man performance is brilliant, the stage and set beautiful, sounds, culturally relevant, and the script, gripping. This work is deserving of the countless awards received.

Alberta Aboriginal Arts and Workshop West presented this important artistic work at Catalyst Theatre. It was a powerful, sensitive message of awareness and understanding of “Agokwe.”

— Maxine Newbold

The best event of 2012 was Alberta Culture’s end-of-summer Block Party on Edmonton’s downtown 104th Street. The weather was good. People came, glowed and bonded around terrific music vibes from DJ Beat Burglar, Politic Live, Mad Bomber Society and Shout Out Out Out Out. There was a good feeling among everyone.

Mayor Mandel was peppy in his welcoming speech. The Minister of Culture, Heather Klimchuk, was there. There was food, art and general happiness.

I loved the genuine feeling of pride that this was our Edmonton music and our scene. And it was all free.

— Wilfred Kozub

The best concert I saw was Rush and Martyn Joesph, though I am going to speak about Martyn Joesph’s side session on the Saturday afternoon at the Folk Festival. The Folk Fest is one of the best experience for music lovers. The place radiates love, fun, community and embraces world music under one bright rainbow canopy. Martyn Joesph is a Welsh singer-songwriter who sings Celtic and folk around life issues. He jumped off the stage and walked among the patrons sitting on the lawn, playing his guitar and singing, and then he sat down in an empty low-legged chair and played. I thought ‘how cool is that!’ Later that evening at the volunteer after-party held at the Westin, I approached him and thanked him for being so real. Only at the Folk Fest.

— Shelley Morrison

Crystal Castles at Edmonton Event Centre. For once I didn’t notice that ugly pillar. I also didn’t realize I’d be deaf for two days after, but it was so worth it.

— Daniel Pietraszewski

Bon Iver at the Jubilee Auditorium

— Stefan Makowski

Miranda Lambert with the Pistol Annies at the Encana Centre in Dawson Creek, B.C. The Jersey Boys at the Jube were a close second.

— Denise Kennedy

Thought I would write about the Oysterband performance I attended with friends last month. I have seen the lads perform a few times before and have always enjoyed their concerts and music (live and recorded). But Oct. 12 at the old Bailey Theatre in downtown Camrose was a highlight for me. The Bailey is an intimate setting for live music, which has been tastefully remodelled to retain its charm, complete with a cosy wee café.

John Jones and the boys were in absolute fine form right from the first song (Over the Water) until their encore finale. The final song, Put of the Lights, was performed without microphones off the stage ... about six feet in front of my friends and me. And after the show, all band members willingly chatted with the patrons over a beer. For me, it doesn’t get much better.

Over the years, Oysterband’s music has grown richer and this evening, shared with good friends, was one of those enriching musical experiences.

— Al McCalder

Next to Normal at the Citadel. So many different elements and songs. Great for anyone.

— Fiona Jobin

The Parachute Club at Folk Fest (because I finally met Lorraine Segato after 30 years of waiting).

— Derek Wicks

Charlie Musselwhite playing encore song Christo Redemptor at the 2012 International Blues Festival at Hawrelak Park. Out of this world — literally!

— Audrey Handfield

The best concerts I attended in 2012: Brian Wilson, Tony Bennett and John Pinette. Plus, Always Patsy Cline (in Westlock).

— Jason Broder

Cavalia was by far the best show I saw in 2012. OK, it was the only show I saw this year, but I would count it among the best I’ve ever seen.

With a mix of awe and fear, I watched the performers stand upright on their horses. I was about to say to my mom, age 65, “imagine being the mother of one of those performers …” Before I could get the words out, my mom — eyes lit up — announced to me: “I used to do that on my horse!”

— Laurie McCaffrey

The Rocky Horror Show at the Citadel.

— Barb Gendron

My best concert was a whole week of concerts as Choralies, when French choirs from across Canada and beyond convened in Edmonton in July.

The highlights included an African music adventure with Kokopelli, the 75th anniversary gala concert of our own Chorale St-Jean, and a three-hour finale with all participants at the Winspear.

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